Ghosts Of The Past
by Mrs Pepperpot
Summary: Mulder and Scully decide to celebrate the 21st anniversary of their first meeting by going on a ghost hunt in the White House. Sort of a sequel to my 2012 fic 'Find the Future'.
1. Chapter 1

**I wasn't intending to write a sequel to my fic 'Find The Future', and this doesn't really reference the events that happened in that anyway. But I had an idea, and I ran with it. I'm not entirely sure if this fic works, because I started it as a kind of alternative to the 'missing' X Files episode that was going to be based on ghosts in the White House. It evolved into something different along the way, and it may have ended up a more fluffier affair than I originally intended. Anyway, here it is, so I'll leave it up to you, the reader, to decide on its merits. Thank you. - Mrs P.**

Ghosts Of The Past - Chapter 1

Mulder was up to something. Scully knew the signs, and after more than twenty years together it was almost impossible for him to get anything past her. It was only a matter of finding out exactly what he had been plotting. She eyed him with suspicion, through the semi-closed door to his office, and tried to catch fragments of his phone conversation, but he was keeping his voice deliberately low. She hovered out of sight for a while, until her guilt crept up on her and she felt bad about spying on him. He would tell her what it was all about, when he was ready, that's what she told herself at any rate. There was no good reason to fear that he was up to anything nefarious; they were happy together, and getting settled into a new home with their son. They were all adjusting well to having William back in their lives; and he to being back with them. Nothing was perfect, of course, but they were pretty damn close to it. She took a step away from the door, and fully intended to go back to preparing dinner, but a dizzy feeling gripped her. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she then lingered for another moment. Mulder was in his early fifties now, but he was still handsome, if a little more ruggedly so these days, and he'd taken good care of himself. Scully knew every part of him intimately, and yet she still couldn't help staring at his toned body. She was edging nearer to fifty than she was comfortable with, and for a second she entertained the horrific notion of her husband with a younger woman. It wasn't something that she could bear to dwell on for long, and chiding herself for being so foolish, she scurried away. It helped her to find an outlet to release some of her tension, by chopping meat for the casserole she was making. Mulder sauntered into the kitchen; he smiled coyly and then went to rummage in the fridge without saying a word, although she could sense that he was working up to something. Scully carried on assembling her cooking ingredients, when a check on a use-by-date alerted her to an approaching anniversary. In three days, it would be exactly twenty-one years since they had first met, and her mind drifted back to that moment which was forever burned on her memory.

_Sorry, nobody down here but the F.B.I's most unwanted..._

She smiled involuntarily at the recollection, and Mulder, who was secretly watching her, felt his heart leap at how beautiful she was when she was smiling. She was older now, but her beauty had only matured with age. He had worried that she'd been looking tired and pale lately, but now he could only marvel at how her smile always brought light to his darkness.

"What ya smiling at?" He closed the fridge door and moved closer to her to lean against the counter.

Scully had forgotten that he was there for a moment, and she started for a second before quickly recovering.

"Oh, nothing... I was just thinking about Wednesday; I mean the date." She intimated and wondered if Mulder even knew what she was referring too.

He grinned back at her, and then he started to look evasive again, but he didn't move away. He studied her thoughtfully for a long moment, and then he spoke.

"I wanted to hate you; I even told myself that I did hate you. You were sent to spy on me, to destroy everything I had worked so hard to build, and yet you ended up being my saviour. In the end, I would never have gotten as far as I did without you by my side. I'll be thankful for the rest of my life for the day that you walked into it." He smiled at her in that way that made her melt inside.

Mulder had set the mood well, and he was pleased with how his wife was looking at him; like she wanted him for dinner, instead of the casserole. It was now time for him to move to a trickier proposition, but it was one that he hoped she wouldn't be too opposed to.

"Ah, about Wednesday, I thought we could make a day of it, celebrate, you know? Since you have the week off work anyway, and we could ask John and Monica if William could stay over at their place for the night. What do you say?" He asked hesitantly, and she knew that there was something he was withholding.

"Okay. That would be nice." She replied but continued to eye him with suspicion.

He noted her look, and decided to go for bust.

"Actually, I've sort of, kind of, already arranged something. I hope you don't mind, but I thought it would be fitting if we spent the day paying homage to our work on the X Files. Have you ever been to the White House, Scully?" He grinned again and was certain that she would be intrigued, if nothing else.

"Mulder?..." She sighed as her mind boggled at what he could possibly have arranged for them. But she also felt relieved, after what she had imagined was the reason for his recent covert activities.

"Is this what you've been cooking up? I just knew you were up to something."

Mulder just shrugged and gave her an innocent smile. Scully rolled her eyes and inwardly admitted defeat. It did sound like a quite interesting prospect after all, and she had never been there.

"So, the White House?" She asked nonchalantly whilst trying to look disinterested by returning to her recipe.

"It's got to be one of _the_ most haunted houses in the Country, if not the world. I've been in touch with a reputable psychic, and there's an historian who has written a book and produced a documentary about the place, and both of them are willing to accompany us on the tour. It's a singular opportunity actually, because the invitation comes from the President himself, kind of." Mulder faltered in his sales pitch for a moment.

"Kind of?" Scully leapt on his vagueness.

"Well, it came via Skinner. The President and the First Family have been troubled by some strange happenings in certain rooms in the White House, and they wanted to know if there was anyone who could look into it, unofficially of course." He explained.

"Look into it? Mulder?" She questioned with exasperation because he knew how she felt about reprising her old line of work.

"Dana, we're talking about the President here, and all we have to do is look around, maybe see if we can pick up on anything. What do you say; it'll be just like old times?" He appealed.

"Old times? Like when one of us got shot, or abducted, or otherwise almost killed in some horrific way?" She wasn't convinced.

"C'mon, Scully, it'll be fun?" He pleaded with that puppy dog look that he knew she couldn't resist.

And sure enough, against her better judgement and instincts, she knew that where he led she would inevitably follow; even into hell itself.

"Oh, alright, but just remember the last time we went to a haunted house, and almost ended up shooting each other to death." She said.

"That won't be a problem this time; no guns allowed for visitors to the White House." He grinned.

* * *

Wednesday morning came around, and Mulder was beyond excited, as he had been for the last couple of days. Scully was less enthused, but the idea of them getting to spend some quality time together was more appealing, as she'd been really busy with work for the last month. She wondered if that was why she had felt so exhausted lately, and also hoped that it was the reason. They got the practical stuff out of the way, like getting their son ready and off to school. Then they made their preparations for the afternoon and evening ahead. The psychic and historian would be coming to the house, so that they could get acquainted and to discuss the itinerary for the rest of the day.

"You know, Mulder, I've completely forgotten what the correct dress code is for ghost hunting, never mind ghost hunting at the White House." Scully said as she rifled through her wardrobe looking for a suitable outfit.

"The President, the First Lady and the kids are all out of town, so no need to go overboard on the dressing up; even the first dog has other plans." He grinned.

"I seem to recall a lot of running, and a lot of bruising too. Maybe I should borrow William's baseball pads?" She queried only half-jokingly.

"Don't worry; I've got your ass covered." He gave her rear an appreciative look as she shimmied into her pants.

She looked at him with mock disapproval but quickly followed up with a smile, and then she moved over to kiss him.

"It's a good thing we're expecting guests, or we'd end up raising more than the dead." He laughed as he pulled away to continue getting dressed.

There was a slow but loud rapping at the door, a short while later, and Scully could see that it was an older woman in her early sixties. She rolled her eyes as she assumed that this was the psychic who would be accompanying them; even her knock was theatrical.

"Won't you please come in?" Dana stood aside to allow her to enter.

"Hello, my dear, I'm Mrs Pennybaker." The older woman said as they shook hands.

"You must be Mrs Mulder, or do I call you Doctor Scully?" She inquired.

"Um, well, I mainly use Scully as a professional thing at work now, and it's a kind of pet name for my husband... So, um, please call me Mrs Mulder, or Dana." Scully realised that she was rambling and began to feel uncomfortable with the whole situation.

The older woman smiled as Mulder came down the stairs to greet her, he was brimming with enthusiasm, and Scully was happy to let him take over.

"Mrs Pennybaker? Pleased to meet you, I've heard so much about you." He shook her hand and led her into the kitchen.

"I just spoke to our White House historian, and unfortunately he's running a little late, so he's going to meet us there." Mulder explained.

"That's a shame. I like to familiarise myself with the energy around each individual person before we get started." Mrs Pennybaker said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. She then proceeded to close her eyes and take several deep breaths, before opening them again.

"Everything okay?" Mulder asked her.

"If it's okay, I'd like to see if there is anyone from the other side who might want to get in touch with either of you? It helps to get all of that out of the way before we get into any other business. It lessens the chances of interference and interruption later on; I mean, if they get their chance now." The psychic lady took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

"Oh my, you've both suffered so many personal losses, I, I didn't realise." Mrs Pennybaker's face took on a sad expression, and there were tears in her eyes when she opened them.

"I'll proceed now, if that's alright?" She inquired.

Dana felt uncomfortable at the prospect of an impromptu séance, and even Mulder was wary, but they both muttered their consent for the psychic lady to continue.

"A woman has stepped forward; she has a message for you, Mr Mulder. She says her name is Diana." Mrs Pennybaker looked up at him for a sign of recognition at the name.

Mulder was mortified, and he couldn't bring himself to meet his wife's eye, but he knew that she wouldn't be happy. Of all the people he had lost, why the hell did it have to be her? He silently cursed, but nodded his head to signal to the psychic that she could proceed.

"She wants to know if you forgive her. She says that she tried to make amends for betraying you, and that she only agreed to do it to protect the work. She cannot rest without knowing that she has your forgiveness." Mrs Pennybaker stopped and looked at Mulder expectantly.

In truth, he didn't know how to react, he hadn't even thought about Diana Fowley for a long time, and it was all ancient history now. Her betrayal would probably have wounded him more if he'd still been in love with her at the time. But as it was, when she came back into his life, his heart already belonged to Dana. He had allowed himself the indulgence of wondering what might have been on a couple of occasions. Then there was the dream he had experienced, when his brain had been operated on without his consent. But he had no regrets about what he could have missed out on with Diana, nor did he feel any lingering resentment over her betrayal. He realised that he hadn't answered Mrs Pennybaker, and that both she and Dana were staring at him with anticipation. He took a deep breath and risked a sideways glance at his wife; she didn't look angry, at least, just a little sad.

"Tell her I forgive her." He said concisely, but earnestly.

Mrs Pennybaker nodded then she closed her eyes again, and some of the tension began to drain from the room. This time, when she reopened them her focus was on Scully; who for her part, just wanted to get the whole thing over with.

"Mrs Mulder, I have a message for you from your sister, Melissa."

Dana felt herself reacting to hearing her sister's name, despite her misgivings. She smiled anxiously as she waited for Mrs Pennybaker to speak again.

"She says that she was right about your aura compatibility, and she wants you to remember Joan Fields."

"Sure sounds like Melissa. Aura compatibility?" Mulder questioned with a mock grimace.

"Um, yeah, she once told me that our auras complimented each other. I told her she was crazy, of course, but who knows? Maybe there was something to it." Scully explained but her mind was distracted with the second part of her sister's message.

"Remember Joan Fields? That was it, nothing more?" Dana questioned Mrs Pennybaker.

"That was all." She confirmed.

"Who's Joan Fields?" Mulder asked with interest.

"Her husband, Jim, was a Captain in the navy, and my father served under him for a few years, until dad was promoted. I was friends with their daughter, Kathy; she and I are the same age. Joan was older than my mom, but they were good friends and I think they still keep in touch now, so I don't know why Missy is telling me to remember her." Dana puzzled over it but still couldn't get at the significance of the name.

"Perhaps the meaning will become clear, in time." Mrs Pennybaker spoke from her personal experience on these matters.

"Anyway, ladies, it's time for us to leave, if you're ready?" Mulder asked as he noted the time. He grabbed his coat, and he then helped his wife into hers.

Dana was still quietly pondering over the significance of Joan Fields, but she allowed herself to be ushered out to the car.

"White House here we come!" Mulder exclaimed as he drove them away.


	2. Chapter 2

Ghosts Of The Past - Chapter 2

Scully was quiet during the car journey to the White House, not that Mulder had appeared to notice. He had been regaling his wife and Mrs Pennybaker with stories of the various ghosts that were purported to roam the presidential mansion.

"Did you know that a couple of weeks before President Lincoln died, he actually had, what turned out to be a prophetic dream, about his assassination? In the dream, he heard the weeping and anguished cries of invisible mourners as he progressed through the house, until he reached the East Room. Inside, Lincoln saw a body lying in state which was surrounded by a guard of honour. He addressed one of the soldiers, and demanded to know who was dead in the White House? The soldier answered that it was the President, and that he had been killed by an assassin. Pretty spooky, huh?" Mulder said gleefully.

"Spooky, indeed." Scully couldn't help a wistful smile from forming, as she thought back to when she had first heard the name 'Spooky' Mulder.

They chose her to partner him, she supposed, because she was methodical and ambitious, or at least she had considered herself to be. It turned out that she was more interested in the challenges that working on the X Files presented her, than trying to climb the greasy pole. The man whose work she had been sent to debunk turned out to be not only the most gifted F.B.I agent she had ever known, but her best friend and the love of her life.

Mulder had noted his wife's state of quiet contemplation, and he wondered what she was thinking about. He would have just come out and asked her, but he was mindful that they had company. He knew that there were many things she wouldn't want to discuss in front of a stranger. He hoped that the unwelcome reminder of Diana Fowley wasn't the reason for her reverie. They had never really talked about their past relationships in any great depth. Dana hadn't asked him about that time in his life, although he was sure that she was curious. But then he had never quizzed her on the men she had known before him, either. He suddenly noticed that Mrs Pennybaker had been speaking, and he hoped that she wouldn't realise that he hadn't been listening.

"We haven't seen it yet, unfortunately. We were all set to go a few weeks back, and then I had to work." Dana had been attending to the older woman's conversation and was able to reply, thus sparing her husband any embarrassment.

"You really should try and find the time; I thought Daniel Day Lewis was quite extraordinary. But then, I heard that he insisted on everyone calling him Mr President during the filming." Mrs Pennybaker said.

Mulder surmised that they must have been discussing the movie, Lincoln, which he really did want to see. He decided to contribute a few more ghost stories about the man to while away the rest of the journey.

"Did you know, that Winston Churchill once reported seeing the ghost of Lincoln? Apparently he was staying in the Lincoln bedroom, and upon emerging naked from his evening bath whilst smoking his customary cigar, he encountered the President's ghost sitting by the fireplace. He reportedly quipped, _Good evening, Mr President. You seem to have me at a disadvantage._ Surely, you couldn't get a more credible witness?" Mulder questioned.

"Oh, I don't know. Churchill had a fondness for drinking Champagne, I think. So maybe he'd had a few when he was in the bathtub? Sure makes a change from seeing pink elephants." Scully grinned.

Mulder was about to light-heartedly take issue with that conclusion, when they arrived at their destination. He was too busy following the White House protocol then to offer up any argument. Once they had been cleared by security, they were met by a member of staff called Janey, who led them into the mansion. She was a cheery middle-aged woman with an animated personality, and she seemed very open to extreme possibilities; even reporting hearing ghostly footsteps near the Yellow Oval Room, herself. Janey informed them that they would have security clearance to visit the places where the highest incidents of strange phenomena had been reported. They walked to the East Wing and were led into the lobby, where a man with dark greying hair was stood with a secret service agent looking at the Presidential portraits. He was around Mulder's height, but with a thinner and less muscular build. His back was to them as they entered, but then he turned around to greet them, and Scully got the shock of her life.

"Ethan?" She gasped at the sight of her old boyfriend. Their relationship had ended not long after she had been assigned to the X Files, and they hadn't seen each other since.

"Hello, Dana. God, you look amazing." He said too enthusiastically as he embraced her. He was obviously not as surprised to see her as she had been to see him.

"You're the historian?" She asked as she swiftly removed herself from his awkward embrace. He was reluctant to let her go, but Scully was only too aware of her husband and the others staring at them.

"I wrote a book about the White House a couple of years back. Then I got asked to make a documentary series about it. You never saw either, I take it?" Ethan asked playfully as he looked at her with an appreciation that made her feel very uncomfortable.

"Um, no. Sorry." Dana silently wished that the ground would open beneath her feet and swallow her whole.

Janey noticed the awkwardness, and she stepped in to make the rest of the formal introductions.

Mulder and Ethan Minette eyed each other with curiosity and suspicion as they shook hands. Scully looked on anxiously, and she shook her head in disbelief that her past had come back to haunt her in such a spectacular fashion; and on a ghost hunt, no less. After the unwelcome reminder of Diana Fowley earlier that day, it seemed incredible that she was now being confronted by one of her past lovers. How did she not know who the historian would be? Mulder had never mentioned a name, she was sure of that. He couldn't have known who Ethan was, could he? No, he wouldn't spring something like this on her, she assured herself. When she thought back to those early days on the X Files, it was only Mulder and herself that she recalled. Had he ever known about her relationship with Ethan? She couldn't remember. Mrs Pennybaker and Janey were the only ones who were untroubled by the situation they had found themselves in. They were happily chatting about Presidents past and present, with Ethan seemingly determined to impress them all with the depth of his knowledge on the subject. Mulder scowled as he noticed the little looks and winks that his wife's former beau kept throwing out in her direction. Dana felt her stomach lurch, and she was glad that she had skipped breakfast.

Janey sprang into tour guide mode, and she instructed the small group to stay close together as she led them to the first room on their itinerary.

Ethan tried to stay close to Dana, but Mulder placed himself between them in an unsubtle manoeuvre.

"So, we meet at last, Mr Mulder." Minette said, as if he were addressing a legendary nemesis.

"At last?" Mulder questioned with confusion; he couldn't recall his wife ever mentioning this man, although she had evidently once known him intimately.

A look of anger flashed over Ethan's face, but he quickly covered it with a smile.

"We spoke on the phone, once. You were spiriting Dana away again; to some god forsaken place. It was Idaho, I think." There was a lingering sadness in his voice.

"I don't think I ever spirited Dana away." Mulder was getting annoyed now. Who does this douchebag think he is? He wondered.

Dana wanted to say something, but she felt queasy, and every time she tried to get a word out the bile would threaten to rise. The two men were too busy engaging in a macho stand-off to notice, anyway.

"Here we are at the East Room." Janey led them into the cavernous and opulent space.

Fortunately, they had reached their first destination, and so they all snapped back into professional mode.

Janey explained a little about the present uses for the room, and then Ethan stepped in with some historical knowledge. It was where Lincoln had lain in state, and later where JFK had lain in private repose. Former First Lady, Abigail Adams had also used it as a laundry room, back in the early 1800s. The White House was only half-finished at that time, and this room had been airy and warm, and ideal for drying clothes.

"Are you getting anything, Mrs Pennybaker." Mulder questioned as the psychic lady stood in the centre of the room with her eyes closed.

"I feel much sadness here, the sound of weeping fills this room." She said quietly.

Janey said that she thought she could detect a slight odour of laundry soap, but no one else could smell it.

"There's no one here who wishes to speak to us. There is just the memory of past sorrows." Mrs Pennybaker said.

They all looked around for a short while before starting back on the tour.

Dana hung back for a moment as a dizzy feeling struck her. It was probably the skipping of breakfast and the shock of the unexpected reunion, she reasoned to herself. Mrs Pennybaker had engaged Mulder in conversation and so he was distracted from protecting his wife from unwelcome attentions.

"Dana, is everything alright?" Ethan had lingered close to her and had noticed how pale she looked.

"I'm fine." She brushed off his concern and started walking faster to catch up with the others.

"Is this how the two of you spend your free time? I never had you down as a Ghostbuster." He laughed.

She didn't respond, and he puffed out a breath in annoyance.

"When I heard that you'd married him, I actually thought that there might be something to all that paranormal mumbo jumbo after all. I mean, Mulder certainly seems to have you in his thrall." Ethan said with disdain.

Dana laughed at the ridiculous nature of her present situation. Not the ghost hunt with her husband, but the bizarre time warp she seemed to have fallen into, where old arguments with former boyfriends refused to die.

"It's been over twenty years, Ethan. I can't believe that you're still hung up on my relationship with Mulder." She said with exasperation.

"We were living together, Dana. I thought we'd get married, one day. I was in it for the long haul and I thought you were too. Then along comes _Spooky_ Mulder, and suddenly I'm out in the cold. You told me it was because of the work; you said that the job was all consuming and you had nothing left to give to me. But it was because of him, wasn't it? I just want you to be honest with me, that's all I'm asking." He said, and he looked so sad that she almost felt sorry for him, almost.

"You must have had other relationships, you can't have been holding on to this for all these years?" She asked in desperate frustration.

"I did get married, fifteen years ago, but it didn't work out. If I'm honest, I don't think I ever really got over you, and I need you to tell me the truth." He was pleading with her now.

Dana paused and took a deep breath to consider what he was asking of her. She wasn't sure what to say because she had denied the truth of her own feelings for so long in the past. But in the end she decided that she needed to be honest, with him and herself.

"I suppose it was because of Mulder, although I honestly didn't realise that I was in love with him at the time. I just knew that he needed me, and I felt a connection to him that was stronger and deeper than anything I'd ever experienced for anyone before. I'm sorry that I hurt you." It was the only answer she could give him.

Ethan nodded his head with sad resignation, and he seemed to be satisfied.

Mulder had been trying to break free from Mrs Pennybaker's conversation but she had just kept on talking, and refused to be diverted. He had glanced back a few times to see his wife and that man having an animated discussion, and he was tempted to forget his manners and ditch the psychic in favour of riding to Dana's rescue. He was happy when he saw her walking faster to catch up to him; leaving Minette trailing behind and looking miserable.

"We are now coming up to the Yellow Oval Room." Janey explained as they reached their next destination.

They all entered the room and listened as the history of it was related, but Mulder was itching to get a private moment with his wife. The day wasn't going the way he'd planned it, and he was disappointed, especially as Dana looked like she would rather be anywhere else, than there. Whilst their three companions were chatting and looking out at the Truman balcony, he took the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

"Well, this is fun." He drawled in his wife's ear.

Scully was too tired to find the humour in the situation, and she wasn't even sure that there was any to be found.

"You remember when we were almost digested by that massive hallucinogenic fungal organism?" She asked.

Mulder nodded cautiously.

"Still a better time than this." She said with irritation and she wasn't in a mood to spare his feelings.

"I swear, I didn't remember who he was." Mulder indicated towards Ethan.

"You never talked about him."

"No. I didn't." She replied tersely.

He gave her a questioning look, and she let her annoyance, and the fact that she was feeling unwell, get the better of her.

"Like you never talked to me about Diana." She huffed.

Mulder knew when to back off, and they were hardly in the ideal situation for airing their respective dirty laundry. He was grateful to Mrs Pennybaker for directing a question at him, so that he could extricate himself from his self-created domestic difficulties.

Dana felt light-headed again, and she stumbled forward whilst trying to catch a hold of something to steady herself, but it was too late. She slumped to the floor, and was only vaguely aware of the sudden bustle of activity around her.


	3. Chapter 3

Ghosts Of The Past - Chapter 3

Dana blinked and her senses slowly began to return to her. She could see the concerned faces of her companions as they stood over her and none more so that her husband. He was cradling her head against his chest and supporting her upper body in his arms. Janey ushered in two medics who were on the White House staff, and they came over to tend to her.

"How are you feeling now, Mrs Mulder?" A young male doctor started to check her vitals.

"I, I'm alright now, I think. I don't know what happened there, I just got dizzy." She replied shakily.

"Everything seems okay, but I'd like you to go and get checked out at the hospital, just to be on the safe side." The doctor said as he finished checking her B.P.

"The hospital? Really?" She questioned.

"I can call for an ambulance." The doctor said.

"No, that's okay, I'll take her." Mulder said as he continued to protectively cradle his wife.

"Are you okay to walk?" He asked her.

"Yeah, yeah I think so." She said as he slowly helped her up onto her feet.

"Looks like we'll have to leave you guys to it. Sorry." Mulder tried to sound sincere for Mrs Pennybaker and the others' benefit. But he was secretly glad to have a legitimate reason to leave; he just wished it wasn't his wife's ill health.

They all muttered words of understanding and gave well wishes as the couple prepared to depart.

"I don't think we're going to find anything that need concern the First family, anyway." Mrs Pennybaker explained.

"I feel the presence of many of the former occupants of this great house, but they mean no harm. They only wish to remain part of something they dedicated their lives too, and gave their lives for, in some cases." She explained with a smile.

Mulder smiled in return, and he and Dana took their leave. Ethan looked on wistfully, and not for the first time, he wished that he was the one she was holding onto.

* * *

"Mulder, I'm not sure I need to go to the hospital. I feel just fine now." Scully tried to reassure him.

He wouldn't be dissuaded. He reminded her about how tired she had been recently, and how pale she had been looking. He didn't want to speak his fears out loud, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it all than she had been letting on. The thought of the cancer returning made him feel sick, but he was determined that she was going to hospital. Whatever was wrong, they would face it together just as they always had.

The White House doctor had called ahead of their arrival at the Emergency room, and they were led to a private consulting area so that they could talk about Scully's medical history. She was checked over and then blood and other samples were taken for testing. The couple were then left to await the results, with Dana dressed in nothing but a hospital gown. Mulder had gone to get them some refreshments, when she suddenly had a strong feeling of déjà vu. She had been left waiting on her own, in a room much like this one, once before. She shook her head in disbelief at the challenges that this day was throwing at her. They always say that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice, but she knew that was a myth; it does, and often. Mulder reappeared suddenly, carrying snacks, and she couldn't help a big smile from spreading across her face. There was one big difference from the last time, she reminded herself. She reached out for his hand and he gave her a puzzled look as her momentary happiness turned into tears.

"Hey, don't cry. Everything's gonna be okay, you'll see." He said as he sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into a tight embrace, as much to reassure himself, as her.

She didn't reply and was happy just to take comfort from being close to him.

Mulder debated over whether he should mention what was said in the Yellow Oval Room. They would need to clear the air over their past love lives at some point, but he wasn't sure that this was the time, or place for it. They sat quietly for a short while, until curiosity and boredom got the better of him.

"I'm sorry for all the upset today. I wanted it to be like old times, and I guess it was, but for all the wrong reasons." He looked like he used to whenever she got hurt out in the field, and he'd blamed himself for it.

Scully hated to see him so pained, and she wondered if she should discuss her suspicions with him, as to the cause of her present state. But she decided it was best to wait. There was no point in speculating when it could just be a flight of fantasy on her part, which had resulted from the strangeness of the day. Her mind drifted back to more mundane matters.

"I was living with Ethan when I was assigned to the X Files, I thought you knew. You seemed to know all about me when we first met, and I just assumed you knew about my personal life too." She said quietly.

"I did know that you were living with someone, but I never really paid it much mind, and you never mentioned him at work." Mulder said with a trace of guilt over the way he had mistrusted her and researched her before their first meeting.

"We never really talked about that kind of thing, and I didn't think you'd be interested. Anyway, Ethan and I broke up not long after I started working with you and I thought that was the end of the story, until today." She explained.

Mulder gave her a questioning look.

"It seems that I hurt him more than I ever knew. He was suspicious of you from the get go, and when our relationship started to go sour, he thought it was because of you. I told him that he was wrong, and that he was being ridiculous, but that was a lie to spare his feelings. I knew in my heart that I didn't feel anywhere near as intensely about Ethan, as I did about you." She softly caressed Mulder's face as he looked at her with surprise.

"I don't think I was in love with you back then, but I knew I'd do anything for you, and that's pretty much the same thing." She said with a smile.

"It was the same for me. I didn't want to trust you, but I did, and the more time we spent together, the more I wanted to keep you by my side, forever." He said before kissing her softly on the lips.

There was a moment of silence before Dana plucked up the courage to ask about something she had wanted to know for a long time.

"What about you and Diana?" She asked in a quiet voice.

He sighed.

"I loved her, once. She was as passionate about the work as I was, and for a while I thought I'd found someone to share it all with. But in the end, it wasn't enough for her, I wasn't enough for her, and she left. When she came back, I'll admit that I wondered what would have happened if she'd stayed, but I was glad that she didn't. I had you then, and it was you that I loved, not her. I meant what I said to Mrs Pennybaker though; I do forgive Diana for what she did, and for betraying me. If I'm honest, I think I always knew that she would, and that she had, I just never wanted to believe it." He explained.

They held on to each other in silence for a while as they both made their peace with the past. The intention of the day may have been to quieten the ghosts that roamed around in the White House, but they'd ended up laying a few personal ones to rest instead. Both Mulder and Dana had quite forgotten about the reason why they were waiting in a hospital room, until a nurse knocked at the door.

"How are you doing, Mrs Mulder? Do you need anything?" She asked.

"No, thank you. Will the test results be ready soon?" Dana inquired.

"It shouldn't be much longer now, I'll just go check." The nurse disappeared off on her mission.

"What about Melissa's message? Did you remember what was so significant about Joan Fields?" Mulder questioned after they had been sat quietly for a few minutes, waiting for the nurse to return.

Suddenly it all fell into place, and Dana was sure that she knew exactly why her sister had asked her to remember that particular woman. The look of shock on her face alarmed her husband, and he began to fuss over her again.

"It's okay, I just, um, I think I know now what Melissa was trying to tell me." She gasped.

"Don't make me guess." Mulder said as his face was full of concern.

"It was just before Christmas 1977, and I was thirteen at the time. I didn't have many friends because we moved around so much with my dad being in the navy, but there was Kathy Fields. I remember that she wanted to go to the movies to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It had to be that movie, right? Anyway I said I'd go with her, although I thought it was pretty silly at the time. My mom insisted on driving us to the movie theatre, and Joan came along; they were going to do some Christmas shopping afterwards, I think. When the movie finished we waited and waited for them to come by and pick us up, but they never came. Kathy and I got so worried; we thought that something terrible had happened to them. We were just about to start making our own way back home, when Bill showed up in a car with a friend of his. He told us that they'd had a call that Joan had been taken ill, and my mom had gone with her to the hospital. Kathy's father and mine were at sea, so we took her to the hospital. We waited and waited for what seemed like hours, and I remember the nurses were singing Christmas carols." Dana paused to take a sip of water.

"Joan had just turned forty-nine years old at the time, the same age that I am now." She said as if she was revealing some great secret.

"So what was the matter with her? You said before that she was still alive, and that your mom might still be in touch with her." Mulder was confused, but a little bit reassured that Joan had survived whatever had ailed her back then.

"It turned out..." Dana didn't get to finish what she had started, because a knock on the door brought the doctor back in with her test results.

They held hands and waited for the doctor to deliver his verdict, although one of them was pretty sure that she knew what he was going to say.

"Mrs Mulder, I have your test results back, and firstly I want to reassure you that everything looks fine. What I'm about to say may come as a shock to you both, but you're pregnant. I would say about eight or nine weeks, given the date of your last period" He explained.

Dana's suspicions were confirmed, because that was exactly what had been the matter with Joan Fields too. She had fainted in a jewellery store, and had later found out that she was expecting her son, who was born seven months later. It had come as a massive shock to Joan and her husband, and they had feared for her, and the baby's health. But in the end all was well, and Scott Fields was a very healthy eight pounds and two ounces at birth. She stole a look at Mulder and the colour had drained from his face with the shock.

"You look as if you've seen a ghost." She said and then she couldn't stop herself from bursting out laughing.

"I'll have to run a few additional tests, if that's okay with you and your husband. But so far everything appears just as it should be." The doctor said with a reassuring smile.

They were left alone for a moment of privacy to let the news sink in. Mulder stood up and began to walk around in a burst of nervous energy.

"You never finished your story, about Joan." He said eventually.

"But you already know the ending now." Dana said with a smile.

"She was pregnant? What, what happened?" He stuttered due to his shock.

"Joan had a healthy baby boy, and she was just fine. I guess that's what Melissa was telling me; that we shouldn't worry, and that it will all work out okay for us and our baby, too" She explained.

Mulder stopped pacing and he drew in a long breath to try and calm himself, then a big grin spread across his face.

"We're having a baby, Dana." He looked at her in wonder.

They held each other's gaze for a long moment in a state of perfect happiness.

"Wait a minute; does this mean we have to put two kids through college? I guess we won't get to go in the good retirement home after all." He said with mock horror.

They both laughed, because although Mulder's mother had been lacking in maternal prowess, she had left him well provided for financially.

"I wonder if we'll have a girl this time." He pondered aloud.

"I don't care, as long as he or she is healthy." Dana replied, but she secretly thought that a girl would be easier, as it might not remind her so much of what she'd missed out on with William.

"I guess we should call our son and tell him the good news. I hope he'll be excited about being a big brother." She was desperate to make sure that William didn't feel excluded or usurped in any way.

"He will be." Mulder sat beside her and took her hand in his to stroke it reassuringly.

"I'll be with you every step of the way this time." He gave her an earnest look. What he had said was laden with a meaning that they both understood.

Dana nodded gratefully as they embraced and kissed again.

"You know, Clint Eastwood fathered a child when he was sixty-six, so there's hope yet that I might not be the oldest dad on the school run." Mulder grinned.

"Charlie Chaplin was seventy-three when he fathered his youngest child." Scully said, as she recited a fact she'd learnt from the movie _When Harry Met Sally._

"I guess it ain't over until it's over." He said with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Well, this has certainly been an anniversary to remember." Dana said, and they both laughed and laughed.

In the event, Verity Samantha Mulder was born almost seven months later, weighing a very healthy six pounds and eleven ounces. Verity had none of her brother's special abilities, but she was no less precious to her family for that.

THE END.

* * *

**The name Verity actually means 'The Truth' in latin, and I just couldn't resist using it. Thank you to everyone who has read this fic. - Mrs P.**


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